Passion for Freedom : My Encounters with Extraordinary People

by SUSSMAN, LEONARD R.

• ISBN13: 9781591021421
• ISBN10: 1591021421
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-03-01
• Publisher: Prometheus Books

Summary

This book is about people whose own striving, sometimes successful, sometimes tragic, reinforces my early attachment to the golden or philosophical mean, the Centre. To advance human progress, however defined, the democratic Centre must hold. That is often derided as compromise or shilly-shally. Yet, in the long run (if there is to be one) human interaction, whether in a medical trade-off for a patient, in democratic policymaking or election, in labour negotiation, or in the murderous confrontation of enemy states -- in every human interaction, the moment of truth comes when the extremes give way to the centre, however defined. This is not a book of historic record, but an account of one man's travel through diverse politics and cultures, observing the harm done to the human spirit by intent or, worse, in attention... One person cannot change the world, as even presidents and dictators discover. But anyone can help diminish outrages and inhumanities. One does that by talking and walking in the right places. New York is my springboard to those places.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Walk on the Midway	p. 11
Acknowledgments	p. 19
Walks at Home
My Father and the Saint	p. 23
Al Salt: Growing Up on the Seventh Floor	p. 35
Muriel Rukeyser: Poet in the Family	p. 39
"Dr. Bill": Restorer of Hands and Faith	p. 45
Inga Arvad: Our Spy--and Jack Kennedy's	p. 53
Religion, the Middle East, and Freedom House	p. 57
Theodor Gaster, Anthropologist-Matchmaker	p. 73
The Hunters: A Sterling Family's Visit from the Feds	p. 77
Daniel Patrick Moynihan: The "Lone Ranger" and the "Tiger"	p. 85
Fulbright's "Accidents"	p. 89
Khaki and Blonde	p. 95
Walks in the World
The Not-So-Small World of Ithiel Pool	p. 101
Angel Ramos: Cablese at War	p. 109
Luis Munoz Marin: Social Revolutionary	p. 119
Wendell Willkie: One World, One Life	p. 133
Francis Miller: Warhawk of World War II	p. 147
Alexander Bickel: The "Middle Distance"	p. 153
Bayard Rustin: Builder of the King Legend	p. 159
Frances Grant and the Guerrillas	p. 165
Sidney Hook: Philosopher with Rolled-up Sleeves	p. 175
Charles Frankel: Intellect in Politics	p. 185
Edward Shils: The Personal "Soul," Privacy, and the CIA	p. 191
Needed: Intelligent Intelligence	p. 199
Andrei Amalrik: Death of a Prophet	p. 207
Leopold Labedz: Cold Warrior Supreme	p. 213
Nomavenda Mathiane: Black Woman Journalist in Apartheid South Africa	p. 219
Helen Suzman: "First Lady" of South Africa	p. 229
Percy Qoboza, Kow Bonzie Brown, and the Heart of a Journalist	p. 237
Allard Lowenstein: Political Rocket, Falling Star	p. 243
Marie-Elaine and the Slave-Hold of Senegal	p. 251
Ludovick Ngatara: Dangerous Journalism	p. 255
Muhammad Abdel Gawad: Mystery Journalist of Egypt	p. 261
The Press of "Tomorrow" in Vietnam	p. 265
Aristedes Katoppo: Ghost in the City Room	p. 271
Mahathir Mohamad: Prime Minister as Editor	p. 275
Kim Sang-Man: Press Freedom, Asian Style	p. 283
Raul Manglapus: From Correspondent to Foreign Minister	p. 293
Sergei Grigoryants: From Gulag to Typewriter	p. 297
Paul Anastasi and the Death of Pravda	p. 305
Humberto and Gloria Rubin: In Defense of Radio Nanduti	p. 309
No to Pinochet	p. 315
NWICO, Part 1: Amadou-Mahtar M'Bow	p. 325
NWICO, Part 2: Turnabout in Guyana	p. 333
Kaarle Nordenstreng: NWICO Point Man	p. 339
Yuri Baturin of the Kremlin	p. 347
Milovan Djilas: Half a Life in Prison or in Disgrace	p. 353
Springtime in China	p. 359
Margaret Chase Smith: The Conscience and the Rose	p. 363
Eugene Wigner: "Why Didn't You Tell Us?"	p. 369
Jonas Savimbi: From the Killing Field to Park Avenue	p. 373
The Dalai Lama and the Talit	p. 379
Lucia Thorne and the Mujahedeen	p. 383
Aisha Seytmuratova: The Diminutive Tatar	p. 391
Isaam Sartawi: He Knew His Assassin	p. 395
Afterword: Astronaut Sussman	p. 401
Appendices
A Survey of the Progress of Freedom in 1968--the Critical Year	p. 405
President Reagan at the White House before His Icelandic Summit with Gorbachev	p. 407
Bayard Rustin on the Civil Rights Movement: An Unpublished Interview	p. 409
Bibliography	p. 423
Index	p. 427
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